Back to you
by LizzieCrawley
Summary: After helping Harold in America, Robert finally come back into the arms of his beloved wife. Spoilers Alert! Happens in the series 4 episode 8
1. Chapter 1

_**I ended up splitting the story into two chapters, it wasn't what I originally intended, but needed to post it soon. I intend to post the rest until the end of the week. Enjoy it and send me your comments!**_

* * *

He looked at the trees that surrounded both sides of the road and took a deep breath, feeling the familiar scent of his land. As the car made a turn in the road he saw the great house, in all its splendor, lit by the afternoon sun, and couldn't help but smile in delight. He was finally home.

Only when he saw the excitement in the gardens, the people who walked through the numerous tents, he remembered the village's bazaar. He had completely forgotten about it. And for a moment, he wondered how difficult it must have been for Cora arranged everything by herself.

He jumped out of the car as soon as it stopped in front of the house and was received with affection by Edith. Shortly after they were joined by Mary and Tom. Like him, all they seemed glad to see him back, even though he hadn't warned them about his arrival. After a short chat with them, he turned to Carson and Bates who were standing beside the car. Bates helped him with his coat as they talked and Robert handed him his gloves.

And then, there she was, looking at him without hiding her delight. He involuntarily held his breath as she walked slowly toward him with that warm smile lighting up her entire face, a small grin slightly twitching the corners of his lips. He had dreamed so many times in recent days with that moment, and yet, even after thirty years, she could still make him feel like that. Breathless. Just like the first time he'd seen her.

"You're back", she said in a gentle voice, "I can't believe it."

He walked toward her with his hat in his hands, his eyes locked on hers. Everything and everyone around them had suddenly vanished. Nothing else mattered, nothing else existed. Only she and her magnificent blue orbs, which were staring at him in that way that always made his heart beat faster.

"If you knew how many times I'd imagine this scene", he said. Cora smiled slightly as he leaned toward the her, his lips capturing hers in a long and gentle kiss, his innermost desires restrained by being in front of everyone. When they finally broke their kiss, he found himself having a hard time in keeping his eyes away from her lips, that kiss just leaving him craving for more.

He had longed for that moment for so long that just one kiss wouldn't be able to appease his yearning heart. He wanted to take her in his arms, feel the warmth of her body next to his and smell the delightful scent of her hair. More than anything, he needed to feel the softness of her skin against his and get lost in the taste of her lips.

She blushed slightly at the intensity of his gaze, and he shortened the distance between them once more, a mischievous glint in his eyes when he said in a very low voice. "How much inappropriate it would be if I kissed you again?" She chuckled, and he could see an amused look in her eyes as she spoke. "Very inappropriate," she said slowly, an impish grin playing on her lips. "But I think I can deal with the consequences."

With a soft smile, Robert leaned over and kissed her once more, desperately wanting to be able to wrap her in his arms and press her against his body. But instead, he just held her hand, squeezing it gently.

"Brother! What a surprise!"

Rosamund's voice sounded almost like a nightmare, and he felt Cora's lips curving into a small smile a second before they broke their kiss. Robert turned to Rosamund, trying to look as aloof as possible, but he felt the heat rising in his cheeks when he saw his sister smirking at them.

"You still don't have a good timing, Rosamund," Robert told her with an embarrassed smile, and Rosamund chuckled. "Well, you will have plenty of time for this later," she said before kissing Robert in his cheek.

Cora blushed even more and Robert gave Rosamund this time a stern look. But Rosamund kept smiling, without hiding her amusement with the entire situation. "Well, don't look at me like that, you two. We all know how much you missed each other," she said placing her hand on the crook of Robert's arm. "And now, dear brother, come with me to see Mama. She will be delighted with your return. And, I'm pretty sure, your darling wife still has too much to do."

He looked at Cora silently asking her if she would be alright, and Cora smiled, nodding in agreement. Robert then kissed her hand fondly and walked away with Rosamund to where his mother was, trying to drive away Cora from his thoughts, and deeply wishing that the day would come soon to an end so they could finally be alone.


	2. Chapter 2

After dinner they all assembled again in the drawing-room, and it was easy to notice that it had been a long and tiring day for everyone. But there was a general feeling of contentment among them, and he could tell it just by looking at their faces.

The bazaar had been a success and he couldn't be more proud of his wife. But despite enjoying it and also and being very pleased to be back with his family, the night seemed endless. Especially when all he wanted was to be with her, and only her, alone.

Then someone said something about the pigs, and he remembered to ask about them. Immediately, everyone else looked to Mary, with a funny expression on their faces. Mary just smiled and stood up, opening her arms in defeat. "No. I'll not talk about the pigs again", she said and Robert just watched her puzzled by her odd reaction. "And I think this is my cue to take my leave," she added walking toward the door and stopping at the doorway to wish them good night. Edith, Rose and Rosamund followed her lead, and Cora was the next, leaving he and Tom alone in the drawing-room.

Robert stared at his son-in-law, expecting he could explain what had happened to the pigs and why that subject seemed to be so much fun for everyone, but Tom just shrugged. "Don't ask me. I know nothing", he said and stopped at the door to say to him, with a small smile, "I can only assure you that the pigs are fine." After wished him good night, Tom left him alone and completely curious about what had happened.

Robert sighed in resignation, looking at the clock on the fireplace. Cora had just gone upstairs, which meant he had time for one last drink, he thought, as he made his way to the library. And then he could finally show her how much he had missed her.

* * *

He knocked softly on the door that divided her bedroom from his dressing room, and opened it even before she had time to answer. She greeted him with a warm smile. She was already in bed, leaning back into the pillows with an open book resting in her lap. He returned her smile with one of his own, fiddling with his dressing gown belt, and she knew immediately that there was something worrying him.

"Is anything wrong, darling?", she asked him, frowning slightly.

"No, nothing", he said, finally taking off his dressing gown and throwing it on the chair beside the bed. But there was an amused glint in his eyes when he sat on the bed beside her. "I was just wondering… what is this thing about the pigs?" he asked, his dark brows joined forming an intrigued look on his face. Cora looked at him for one moment before start laugh loudly and he couldn't help but smile at her, infected by the sound of her laughter.

"I can't believe you are still thinking about the pigs!", she said, trying to stop laughing covering her mouth with her hand.

"I know, I know...", he said lowering his head in acknowledgment of his guilt, "I shouldn't be thinking about it… Especially when you are there looking so gorgeous", he added looking into her eyes. "But you all did nothing but leave me more and more curious about this story." He tilted his head and showed her his best smile before asking her, "So, are you tell me what the pigs have to do with Mr. Blake and Mary?"

Cora giggled, an amused look in her face. "You won't give up, will you?" He shook his head, and then she sighed before proceeding. "I don't know all the facts, but they said that the pigs were without water, and would inevitably die of thirst when Mr. Blake rolled up his sleeves and began to carry water to fill the troughs, with the help of Mary. They stayed there the entire night, taking care of the pigs, just coming back to the house only in the wee hours of the morning, completely exhausted and covered in mud."

"Mud?" He rolled his eyes, praying that nothing inappropriate had happened and she nodded. "And is that all?" Robert frowned, but Cora just nodded again, a quiet expression on her face assuring him that nothing more had occurred.

"So… Mr. Blake and Mary saved our pigs?"

"Exactly."

"And did this change their entire relationship?"

"As you noticed", she grinned.

"Of course, I'd noticed. They could barely stay in the same room without bickering when I left. And now..."

"Um-hum", she nodded with a significant look in her eyes.

Robert blinked. "And why do I feel like I've missed something", he said with a puzzled look in his face.

Cora chuckled, holding his hand in hers with affection. "Come on, darling. Sometimes it takes something unusual to happen to change some wrong first impressions. They'd started with the wrong foot. On the same way as we did."

Robert looked straight into her eyes, his eyes narrowing dangerously, but she saw a tiny smile twitching the corners of his mouth.

"Oh, no, we didn't." He said, a challenging smile taking over his lips.

"Sometimes you are so forgetful, Robert...", her lips beaming at him. "Or don't you remember that you said to Lord Dashwood that I was…_ a very ungraceful American lady who talked too much and smiled all the time for no reason_."

He chuckled, but took her hand to his lips to kiss it. "You'll never forget it, will you?" She approached him and placed a soft kiss on his face, nodding with a teasing smile. "You know very well that I just said that to George to dissuade him to court you," he said, his intense blue eyes locked on hers. "And, if my memory don't fail me," he added, making her hide her face in his chest already knowing what he would say, "you said_ I was a very rude man who could never be called a gentleman_."

"I was very angry with you when I said that." She said, laughing, stifling her laughter in his chest, and he pulled her closer, wrapping her with his arm. "Because, besides of talking bad of me for all eligible suitors, you showed no interest in me", she added, struggling against laughter.

"I didn't talk bad about you to _all_ your suitors. Only to George. He was the only one who meant danger for me", he said and she lifted her head to look at him again and saw the shy smile on his face.

"Of course. The irresistible and dashing Lord George Dashwood, the catch of the season", she said, teasing him. The look on his face became suddenly very serious, and she was surprised to know, that after all these years, he still feel affected by the mere mention of her old suitor.

"Robert, are you jealous?" She suppressed a smile, and sat down in front of him so she could see him better.

"I'm not jealous." He said, in a tone that sounded more like a six year old boy. "I just don't like when you talk like that." He averted his gaze, and added, "Especially about George Dashwood."

"You are really jealous of George Dashwood, don't you?"

He closed his eyes for a moment, before looking back at her.

"And why should I not? You almost married him..."

"Well, not exactly. He asked me to marry him, it's true. And just in case you haven't noticed, I didn't marry him." She approached him, touching his face fondly and kissing him gently, making his lips curl into a small smile. "I could never have married him." She added in a soft voice, her eyes fixed on his.

"And why not?" Robert asked, holding her gaze, taking her hand with affection, their fingers intertwined.

"Because… you stole my heart from the very first moment." She approached him to whisper into his lips, teasing him and making him smile, "Even being a very rude man who could never be called a gentleman."

He pulled her to him, unable to resist any longer, finally holding her in his arms, kissing her passionately and feeling the pressure of her body over his. She parted her lips to him and his tongue invaded her mouth, tasting it, devouring it, in the way he had desired since he had arrived home.

"How much I missed you...", he said in a whisper, as his lips skimmed over her neck, slowly tracing the path between her lips and her collarbone, making her feel a shiver go down her spine. His eager hands tried to find its way through the delicate fabric of her nightgown in search of her soft and warmth skin. When he fumbled with the small buttons and tiny bows, she sat on his lap to help him in his task, allowing him to pull her nightgown over her head. And she could see the desire in his blue eyes as his gaze traveled through her naked upper body, as if it were able to absorb every small detail.

They quickly got rid of the rest of their clothes, the garments flying through the air to land softly on the bedroom floor. He gently laid her down on the pillows and leaned over her slowly, his eyes locked on hers, and she felt the length of his body against hers, the warmth of his skin increasing her desire for him.

And suddenly his hands seemed to be everywhere, touching her, caressing her, teasing her, leaving a trail of fire in its path. His hungry lips kissed her mouth as if it was the last time he would do it, and when his hands found its way into her inner thighs, any possibility of a coherent thought abandoned her. There was only him, his touch, his skin, his lips.

He lifted his head slightly to look at her, his blue orbs darkened by desire and passion, when he finally found his way inside her, causing her to let out a hoarse groan. Then the entire world just vanished, remaining only a haven of sensations as their bodies moved at the same pace, until she finally felt an explosion of pleasure irradiating from inside her, and he came to join her shortly after.

Later, they stood in each other's arms for a long time, in completely silence. She rested her head on his chest, their legs intertwined, as he slid his fingers slowly up and down her back, feeling the softness of her skin. When he finally began to feel the weight of his eyelids, he suddenly felt her shudder, but he didn't move because he thought she was just dreaming. Then he heard the sound of her laughter, and lifted his head to see her face transformed by a broad smile. He just raised an eyebrow questioningly, his sleepy eyes fixed on hers, but she couldn't say anything because she was fighting against laughter. Robert dropped his head heavily on the pillow and rolled his eyes, but ended up smiling too, even without knowing the reason she was laughing at.

"Can you...", she started but laughed again before she could proceed, "Can you explain to me how today, of all days, we could talk about pigs, Mr. Blake and ended up talking about George Dashwood even before you could give me a proper kiss?"

He chuckled, "Well, I don't know. But it seems that George doesn't want to leave us alone today."

"It was you who brought the subject." She lay on her side, her elbow on the bed and her head on her hand, to be able to look at him, what he mimicked immediately, leaving them face to face.

"Me?" This time it was he who laughed. "I just asked you about the pigs."

"Yes. And _you_ ended up talking about George." She pressed her forefinger accusingly against his chest, with an amused smile on her lips, and he took the opportunity to hold her by her finger and pull her hand to his lips. "But you already know this story for so long. Why do you keep making me repeat that I refused his marriage proposal?"

"Because…", there was a mischievous glint in his eyes, "it's always so good to hear you say again that you chose me."

"Silly man." She gave him a pat on the arm, pretending to be angry, but he could see a smile forming at the corners of her lips. Then he leaned toward her, forcing her to lie down again, pressing his body against hers. "Never silly, but always, always in love," he said in a whisper as his lips captured hers in a soft kiss.

"Did you really missed me?" She asked him when their lips finally parted.

"So much that it hurt", he said, his eyes drawn to the intensity of her gaze.

"Then show me how much you'd missed me."

He smirked, and there was no need for her to say anything else to him, his lips looking for hers once more, first in a gentle kiss, but as soon as his desire for her grew again, in a more passionate way, as if he could stay there forever in her arms.


End file.
